The Fête du Citron in Menton, 2027

Menton spends two weeks every February covering itself in one hundred and forty tonnes of citrus and almost nobody outside the region plans a trip around it. The Fête du Citron is the largest winter event on this coast, it happens in the warmest town in France, and it lands in the cheapest fortnight of the year to be here. Here is how the two weeks are structured, what is free, what is ticketed, and the hour that actually photographs.

When is the Fête du Citron 2027?

From 13 to 28 February 2027, in Menton, at the eastern end of the Côte d'Azur ten minutes from the Italian border. The festival runs over two full weekends and the fortnight between them. The theme of each edition is announced by the town during the autumn, so if you are reading this before then, book the dates and ignore the theme.

Structure and 2027 dates from the official festival site, checked August 2026. Ticket prices for 2027 are published by the festival office during the autumn, so check the ticketing page before budgeting.

Do you need a ticket?

Only for the parades. The part most people travel for, the giant citrus sculptures in the Jardins Biovès, is free and open, which makes this one of the very few headline events on this coast you can attend for the price of a train ticket. The corsos, both the daytime golden fruit parades and the night ones, are ticketed with seated and standing options, and they sell out for the closing weekend well before the opening one.

When should you actually go?

A weekday, in the first week, in the morning. The gardens are open all day for the full fortnight, and the difference between a Tuesday at 9am and a Sunday at 3pm is the difference between photographing sculptures and photographing the backs of other people photographing sculptures.

For light, the two useful windows are the first hour after the gardens open and the last hour before sunset, which in mid-February on this coast falls around 18:15. Menton faces south-east into a bay ringed by mountains, so the town keeps light late in the afternoon while the valleys behind it are already in shade.

How do you get to Menton?

By train, and it is not close. Menton sits at the end of the coastal line: roughly thirty five minutes from Nice, ten from Monaco, over an hour from Cannes. Driving into Menton on a parade day is a bad plan, since the town centre closes to traffic and the parking fills early. The station is a ten minute walk from the gardens, which is the whole argument for the train.

The other reason to come by train is that February is the driest winter month on this coast, with 53,6 mm on the Nice normals against 138,4 mm in November, and Menton is the warmest town in France in winter. This is not a rainy day trip.

Is it worth photographing?

The sculptures are, on a weekday morning. The parades are difficult: dense crowds, moving floats, mixed light, and a tribune seat that fixes your angle for two hours. If you want photographs of your family with the festival rather than of the festival itself, the honest plan is the gardens at opening, then the old town and the seafront afterwards, which are beautiful, empty and entirely free.

Menton is outside our six core towns and inside our coverage area: sessions here carry no travel fee, like everywhere between Saint-Tropez and Menton. February pricing is the same as August pricing, which on this coast is unusual.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Fete du Citron 2027 in Menton?

From 13 to 28 February 2027, over two weekends and the fortnight between them. The theme of each edition is announced by the town during the autumn preceding the festival. The citrus sculpture exhibition in the Jardins Bioves runs for the whole period and is free; the daytime and night parades happen on set dates and are ticketed. Confirm the parade calendar on the official festival site before booking travel, since the parade days differ from one edition to the next.

Is the Fete du Citron free?

The main exhibition is. The giant citrus sculptures in the Jardins Bioves, which is what most visitors travel for, are in free and open access for the full fortnight. Tickets are needed only for the corsos: the daytime golden fruit parades and the night parades, both sold with seated tribune places and standing areas. Prices for each edition are published by the festival ticket office during the autumn.

What is the best day to visit the Fete du Citron?

A weekday morning in the first week if you want the sculptures without a crowd, since the gardens stay quiet until the coaches arrive around eleven. A Sunday if you want the full spectacle of a parade, in which case buy the ticket several weeks ahead because the closing weekend sells first. For photographs, the opening hour of the gardens is the only moment you can stand in front of a sculpture without queueing.

How do you get to Menton for the festival?

By train. Menton is the last stop on the coastal line: roughly ten minutes from Monaco, thirty five from Nice, over an hour from Cannes, and the station is a ten minute walk from the gardens. Driving in on a parade day is a poor plan, as the centre closes to traffic and parking fills early in the morning. February is also the driest winter month on this coast, so the walk is rarely a problem.

More reading: the Riviera in winter, where to watch the Nice Carnival, and the best time of year for a photoshoot here.